1895 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



561 



lie. But if you tiegin to explain that there may be 

 a httle, etc., why, the game is up and you are out, 

 for no respectable dealer will touch it, unless you 

 can vouch for its purity. True, you could make a 

 big report at the close of the honey season ; but I 

 am proud to believe that no Canadian bee-keeper 

 would feel very happy over a crooked report, how- 

 ever large, consisting of sugar and honey. 



Let us most religiously see to it that Ontario hon- 

 ey shall stand extra No. 1, in the markets of the 

 world. Work hard and make your honey crop as 

 large as possible; but never sacrifice quality for 

 quantity. 



Belmont, Out., May -t. 



— S. T. PetUt, in the Americaii Bee Journal. 



Mr. Boardraan, to whom we sent the above 

 extract, replies: 



Read carefully on page 345 of Gleaning.s the 

 last part of my article on feeding before the 

 honey season. I believe It is true, and so ac- 

 cepted by all fair-minded bee-keepers — that 

 stores once sealed over in the hive will not be 

 again unsealed during the season unless some 

 extra inducement is brought to bear upon the 

 bees to make them do it. We all know how 

 frequently the extractor has been recommend- 

 ed for this purpose when the queen has been 

 restricted for room. Reversible hives and re- 

 versible frames are to induce the bees to unseal 

 and remove their stores. So well established is 

 this fact that I consider it a waste of time to 

 discuss the matter. H. R. Boakdman. 



East TownSend, O., June 6. 



to another. I don't know of any better way 

 than to have tags with numbers on them, so 

 they can easily be changed from one hive to 

 another. But I don't think celluloid is the 

 thing. It is, I think, more expensive than tin, 

 and not so durable. I spoiled some for Emma 

 last winter by having it too near the stove, and 

 I'm afraid the heat of the sun would sometimes 

 be equally great. I think it would pay Mr. 

 Hyde to have some tin tags painted, but I think 

 you can get them up in quantity for less money, 

 and accommodate a good many. 

 Marengo, III. C. C. Miller. 



[We can certainly make the numbered tin or 

 zinc tags — numbering black and tags white, if 

 desired. Perhaps another year we shall list 

 them.— Ed. 1 



CELLULOID TABLETS FOR NUMBERING HIVES. 



Mr. Root: — I inclose a little piece of cellu- 

 loid, with the request that you investigate the 

 practicability of using such material for num- 

 bering hives. It can be had in any color. 

 White, of course, with black numbers, would 

 be the best for hives. It seems to me it would 

 be a very desirable material for that purpose, 

 as it would not be injured by the sun's rays, nor 

 by moisture. I wish to get numbers for about 

 100 or 150 hives, and really don't know what to 

 get nor where to get it. To get a painter to 

 paint them on metal would be too expensive; 

 ordinary cardboard might answer, still it would 

 not be very durable. There ought to be quite 

 a sale for such things if they can be furnished 

 at a reasonable price. G. F. Hyde. 



San Diego, Cal., May 26. 



[The great trouble with such tablets is, they 

 are too light and expensive. Painted tin ones, 

 as spoken of by Dr. Miller, would be, I think, 

 much better. Dr. Miller, who uses such tab- 

 lets, and to whom your letter was sent, writes 

 as follows:] 



I never thought of the thing before; but I 

 believe Mr. Hyde's suggestion is a good one, to 

 have numbers for hives ready made. One who 

 knows the advantage of it is not likely to have 

 any other plan than to have the number stay 

 always with the stand, the number on the hive 

 changing whenever it changes from one stand 



CONDITIONS FAVORABLE FOR SWARMING. 



From the 3d to the 10th of June I had 14 

 swarms from 100 hives of bees. From the 11th 

 to the 29th inclusive I had 7 ii.ore swarms. 

 During the first period the bees gathered some 

 honey ; but during the second period they 

 gathered it much faster. During the first 

 period the days were hot; but during the sec- 

 ond there were many hot days also. But — and 

 here comes a difference — during the first period, 

 not only were the days hot but the nights were 

 unusually warm for any time of the year; while 

 during the second period the nights were 

 noticeably chilly. So ray conclusion would be 

 that hot nights with hot days, during a honey- 

 flow, tend to produce what is called the swarm- 

 Ing-fever; while cool nights— other conditions 

 being the same— tend to discourage it. This in 

 connection with your second editorial, page 48S. 

 John S. Callbreath. 



Rock Rift, N. Y., July 1. 



[Very likely you are correct. We had those 

 conditions during the jDime referred to in the 

 editorial. — Ed.] 



THE CLOVERS VALUABLE TO BEE-KEEPERS, 

 WHEN SOWN FOR BEE-PASTURAGE. 



Mr. Root: — Will you please give a short arti- 

 cle on crimson and alsike clover? I should 

 like to know when to sow them, and also their 

 value as bee-plants. D. P. Reavis. 



Francisco, Ind., May 30. 



[Alsike, medium red clover, and all the clo- 

 vers commonly used in farming, are usually 

 sown on grain in the spring. This whole mat- 

 ter is so well known that we need not take 

 space for it here. Crimson clover is something 

 new; and it has been clearly proven in many 

 localities, even as far north as we are here in 

 Ohio, that it may be sown, say at about the 

 time corn is cultivated for the last time, in the 

 corn, and will then take root, and come up and 

 get sufficiently established to withstand the 

 winter, blossoming some time in May, a little 

 before white clover or any other clover comes 

 out, if I am correct. During the coming fall 

 this matter will be tested sufficiently to settle 

 the question as to just how much crimson clo- 

 ver will do in furnishing feed, bee pasturage, 

 or clover to plow under.— Ed.] 



